


Collateral Damage

by Telaryn



Series: Grifters and Honest Folk [2]
Category: Leverage, White Collar
Genre: Angst, Assault, Crossover, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Secret Relationship, Threats, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-14
Updated: 2012-05-14
Packaged: 2017-11-24 05:46:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damien dispatches Eliot to teach Neal a lesson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Collateral Damage

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=angst_bingo)[](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=angst_bingo)**angst_bingo** 's Round 3, for the prompt "lacerations".

“You will not be accompanying us to dinner.”

The fact that he’d been expecting it meant Eliot was able to keep from arguing with Damien about what was coming next. “Caffrey?” he asked.

Something in his tone wasn’t exactly right – Damien glanced up at him. “You have something to say to me?”

Eliot waited a moment, making very sure of what he wanted to say before he committed to it. Simply denying he had an opinion on what Damien was about to order him to do wasn’t the way to keep him happy – but he had to be smart about how he approached it. “She has feelings for him, you know. Real feelings. She’s not going to thank you for this.” Once upon a time Damien had encouraged Eliot to court his sister, and while nothing romantic had ever developed between he and Kate, Eliot had learned a lot about how the youngest Moreau came at the world.

Damien made a small sound that might have been a snort, and turned back to his papers. “Katerina is still a rebellious child. She will see this is for the best.”

“Not if I kill him.”

Damien froze in the middle of writing something. His eyes closed, and Eliot heard him sigh. The pen was set down with a sharp snap in the sudden stillness. “Please don’t be so deliberately obtuse.” He looked up again, eyes flashing with annoyance. “And sit down – I’ve no interest in straining my neck while I hear you out.”

Eliot dutifully came around to the front of the desk and took one of the chairs for himself. “Hurting or threatening Caffrey runs the risk of making him a martyr. That leaves killing him to get him out of the way, or leaving it alone and letting Kate get tired of him in her own time.”

“Are you seriously suggesting I sit back and do nothing?” Damien’s eyebrows raised, creating a wrinkle in the smooth skin of his forehead. “Or are you hoping I’ll somehow believe he doesn’t share her bed and designs on her fortune?” There was a nasty edge to his voice now – Eliot knew if he pushed things any further, the small window Damien had given him to express his opinion would close.

“I am saying that you might consider who your sister is when deciding what you want me to do about this.” Eliot leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I know what you want for her Damien, but Kate can be stupidly stubborn about things. Did you ever think she might have taken up with Caffrey to teach you a lesson about setting her up with the stock broker?”

He could tell immediately that Damien hadn’t considered that possibility. He wasn’t used to having his view of the world questioned, especially by his own blood. And, by his own admission, his love for his sister meant that he’d allowed Kate to do her own thing longer than was probably smart. Eliot waited patiently as Moreau settled back into his desk chair, fingers steepled as he considered the scenario his lieutenant had laid out.

He was quiet long enough that Eliot began to hope he’d made his point, but finally Damien shook his head. “No. There are larger concerns in play here Eliot. Mr. Caffrey needs to understand what he’s risking by playing around with my sister. Katerina will understand.” He paused briefly, his eyes meeting Eliot’s. “I will assign this task to someone else, however, if you would rather..?”

Eliot got to his feet, falling automatically into a parade rest stance. “That won’t be necessary.”  
***************  
He never saw it coming. Neal and Mozzie had decided to spend their last night before Kate returned from visiting her friend familiarizing themselves with one of Manhattan’s higher end restaurants. They’d had to con their way in and out, but Mozzie was determined to make sure Neal’s repertoire would allow him to function perfectly in any social situation.

“Adler was a set-back,” he would say on those nights when it was just the two of them. “And the forgeries are nice – but someday soon Neal, you and are going after that big score.”

He’d been feeling good when he and Mozzie parted company; even though their monetary situation wasn’t what he could hope for, everything else was starting to fall into place. Neal entered his apartment that night, thinking about the painting he was working on, and what he would do when Kate got home to show her how much he loved her.

He had a momentary flash of premonition that something was wrong when he reached for the light switch and nothing happened. Before he could react or have a chance to think about whether it was anything more than a burned out bulb, he was grabbed by a shadowy figure and punched hard in the jaw.

The blow sent him staggering – Neal tripped over an ottoman and sprawled full length on the hardwood floor. He was dimly aware of the door shutting, and then the intruder was standing over him, reaching down to grab him by the shirt front. “Wait…” he protested weakly. “I don’t understand.”

A man’s open hand slapped him hard across the face, rocking his head painfully to one side, and setting off sparks in his vision. “Kate Moreau,” his attacker growled. “You’re gonna end it. Tonight.”

 _Kate…_ Panic flooded Neal’s limbs. He began to struggle, trying to pull free. The man pushed back – throwing him hard into the nearest wall. Neal tried to recover, tried to _move_ , but his assailant was too fast. A strong hand pressed into the center of his chest, holding him against the wall.

“This can go easy or hard.” This close, Neal could make out some of the man’s features – not enough to identify him if it came down to it. “You’re playing in deep waters, Caffrey. I’m here to make sure you understand that my employer means what he says.”

Neal heard the hiss of a knife being drawn and froze – eyes huge. He couldn’t argue his case, he could barely breathe.

“I understand you’re an artist,” the man went on. Neal could see the knife now, could see the man glance meaningfully at his right hand. “Raise it.”

He shook his head, tried to muster the will to fight back, but the blade was suddenly at his throat. “I told you this could go easy or hard,” the man said. “I haven’t been ordered to kill you yet, but I do have some flexibility if you fight me.” He glanced down again. “Now get it up!”

“I don’t understand,” Neal whispered again, but he did as he was told. Even in the dim light, he believed the man’s threats. There was a certainty about him that was difficult to ignore.

“It’s simple,” his assailant said. Shifting his grip from Neal’s chest to his wrist, he pinned the arm in place. “Spread your fingers. Get your hand as flat against the wall as you can.” Neal struggled to obey, but his hand was trembling uncontrollably.

The knife finally drifted away from his throat. “You’re going to break up with Kate,” the man went on, “and this is going to remind you what’s at stake.”

At the last second, Neal turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut. White hot pain bloomed in his palm as the blade cut into his skin. His attacker took his time, slowly tracing the point diagonally across his hand until Neal was screaming through his clenched teeth.

 _Kate…_ was his last thought as the agony finally overwhelmed him.  
****************  
Half an hour later, Eliot was positioned in a nearby alley, watching the paramedics bring Caffrey out of the building. Damien hadn’t specifically forbidden him to call 911, but he knew instinctively he was going to hear about his act of mercy.

A soft sound of distress reached his ears – Eliot glanced to the right and saw a female figure coming up the sidewalk. _Kate._ He waited until she drew even with his position, then reached out and grabbed her arm; pulling her against his chest and putting a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

“It’s Eliot,” he said, bending his head close to her ear. Kate continued struggling for a few seconds, then stilled. Her heard a muffled sound that could have been a question, but didn’t dare take his hand away. _Not yet._ “They’re taking Caffrey to the hospital.”

Outrage then; Kate fought him hard enough that Eliot had to tighten his grip. “Calm down,” he hissed. “It wasn’t a death sentence. Not yet.”

Kate froze for a second, and then sagged in his arms – dissolving into hysterical, wracking sobs. Eliot turned her towards him, supporting her against his chest while she cried out the worst of her fear and anger. “Laceration on his right palm,” he said, once her sobs began to taper off. “They’re going to have to stitch it up. He’s been roughed up, he’s been scared, but it’s nothing he won’t recover from.”

Sniffling, Kate pulled free at last and looked up at him. “You cut his hand open?” Eliot was struck abruptly by how much of her brother was in the question.

“Don’t play dumb, Kate,” he countered. “You know how this works.”

In the dim light Eliot saw her expression grow thoughtful as she considered his words. “You could have done a lot worse,” she said, drawing a deep, shuddering breath as she pulled herself under control. “I know Damien trusts your judgment for something like this.”

“He’s a dumb kid,” Eliot said. “I did my homework too. He doesn’t deserve to die because he had the stupid luck to get between you and Damien.”

Her large eyes welled with tears again. “I love him, Eliot.”

The tragedy of it was that Eliot half-believed her when she said it. “If you love him, Kate, then stop using him to tweak your brother. Be honest with him, and be honest with yourself.”

When she didn’t immediately blow him off, Eliot put an arm around her shoulder and tugged her against his side. “Come on. I’ll drive you to the hospital.”


End file.
